Counselor pleads guilty to misdemeanors for illegal sex with clients referred by DHR

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- A Hoover man pleaded guilty today to
misdemeanor charges that he illegally had sex with two women while separately
counseling each when he was under contract with the Alabama Department of Human
Resources.

Larry Chapman, 59,
pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual misconduct, a Class A misdemeanor.

Jefferson County
Circuit Judge Tommy Nail sentenced him to 12 months' incarceration and 24
months' probation as part of the plea agreement.

Both women had been
referred to counseling by the DHR. Chapman's counseling service, Chapman & White
Family Wellness, was on a list of approved providers before it was suspended by
DHR after Chapman's arrest in July 2010.

Prosecutors say
Chapman met with the women at their homes, and used his position to coerce the
women into having sex with him. He said they had to obey him or he would use
his power and to have their children removed from their homes, police say.

One of the victims,
a mother in her mid-20s, came forward to police in 2010 after setting up spy
cameras in her house. After the charge involving that woman became public, the
other victim came forward.

One of the victims
has sued Chapman in U.S. District Court, and one victim has a lawsuit against
Chapman pending in Jefferson County Circuit Court.